By Al-Khidr Abdul Baqi, IOL Correspondent

ABUJA, June 21 (IslamOnline.net) – Nigerian Muslims mark this week the 200^th anniversary of the creation of Sokoto Caliphate, which had unified Muslim-populated areas in the north under a central Islamic authority in 1804.

The caliphate was a pioneering example for re-instating the principles of justice in governance, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo highlighted in a speech during the celebrations that will continue until Sunday, June 27.

The principles established by the founders of the caliphate are still suitable for the circumstances of our age, Obasanjo said in the speech, read by Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Bukhari Janeed, the current minister of Sokoto, called on Nigerian Muslims to remain loyal to the principles of the defunct caliphate, saying the experience imbued Muslims in the African country with power and influence.

"The caliphate played an effective role in reviving the Arab culture in West Africa region, setting a good example of the African experience in administering an Islamic country adopting Shair'ah and using Arabic as its official language," Janeed told IslamOnline.net.

"The caliphate, divided into 30 emirates, had used the jurisprudence school of Imam Malik as the source of its judiciary, and had also seen the unification of all tribes and kingdoms in western Sudan area under the administration of one state," he said.

Sokoto occupies a unique place in the history of Nigeria. Legendary Islamic scholar Uthman Dan Fodio began his efforts to renew Islamic thoughts and unify Hausa-speaking areas in the north under a central authority seated in Sokoto in 1804.

Fodio sought to establish a political system based on the principles of universal justice in the Caliphate, which flourished until the British conquered it in 1903.

Long History

Celebrations marking the ceremony were also witnessed in other northern Nigerian states since January.

Exhibitions displaying more than 1,000 archeological pieces and hundreds of manuscripts tracing back the history of Sokoto as a seat of Islamic learning were also held.

The impact of Islam in northern Nigeria became decisive in the late nineteenth century when Fodio, with his "Sokoto Jihad" project" transformed the worldview of the northern people.

Islam then became the framework with which the people conducted their day-to-day activities.

The "Sokoto Jihad" established in the area new legal, administrative and educational institutions "based on Muslim concepts, ideas and values."

The north became a religio-political community of its own and viewed the society different from the rest of Nigerians, particularly the Christians.

With the conquest and collapse of the Sokoto Caliphate by the British in 1902, the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria was created and fourteen provinces were carved out of the defunct caliphate.

Sokoto has a population of two million, and the state stands independent in administration as the rest of state of the federal government, according to official figures.

Islam was first introduced into Nigeria in the 11th century. Recently, the twelve northern states in Nigeria – among them are Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, and Kebbi - have decided to adopt Shari'ah though the national constitution declares Nigeria as a secular state.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria consists of thirty states at present. With its over 105 million people, Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa and one of the more prosperous countries in the continent due, in large part, to its abundant oil deposits which accounts for about ninety-eight percent of total exports.

Source : http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2004-06/21/article03.shtml